Mayor Emanuel Announces Completion of Clark/Division Red Line Station Renovation

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval Carter and Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld in announcing the completion of a major renovation project to the Clark/Division Red Line CTA station. The project added a new entrance, and fully renovated and modernized the station.

“This investment will make life easier for the thousands of Chicagoans who get on or off the Red Line and Clark and Division, but this is about more than just a CTA station,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Investments like this, and other major infrastructure projects we have undertaken throughout Chicago, allow our economy to grow, our neighborhoods to thrive, and our city to flourish.”

The project was completed in two stages. In the first phase, CDOT built an entirely new mezzanine and entrance at LaSalle Street and Division Street. The new 8,800-square-foot mezzanine at LaSalle Street, which opened last summer, increased the entering/exiting capacity of the station by adding stairs, fare turnstiles, elevators and escalators. The station previously had no elevators.

The second stage of the project, which is now complete, involved modernizing the entrances and the mezzanine at Clark Street. With the opening of the entrances at Clark Street, customers can now enter or exit the station at LaSalle Street or Clark Street, improving the experience for station users, particularly at high traffic times of day.

“Chicago has one of the oldest and largest mass transit systems in the nation,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. “I commend Mayor Emanuel for making the rehab of the city’s CTA stations a top priority. Through the help of a $41 million federal investment in the Clark/Division CTA station, Red Line riders will now benefit from a safer and more efficient station that is more accessible to all CTA passengers, including people with disabilities.”

The $50 million construction project was managed by CDOT on behalf of the CTA and supported by Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) funds from the Federal Transit Administration.

“This renovation project shows how CDOT and the CTA are working in partnership to improve the City’s mass transit system,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said. “The Clark/Division station renovation increases the capacity of the station and makes it more inviting for customers, encouraging the use of mass transit.”

The Clark/Division renovation is one of several CTA capital improvement projects that are key elements of Mayor Emanuel’s Building a New Chicago, a comprehensive $7.3 billion infrastructure renewal program.

“This is yet another great example of how the CTA and CDOT work together to modernize and improve the transit experience for all CTA customers,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “We are pleased to continue to invest in the city’s busiest rail line with improvements that benefit CTA customers now and for decades to come.”

Major highlights of the renovation project include:

Two new elevators and three new escalators

New granite floors and stairs

New decorative wall and ceiling tiles

Brighter and more energy-efficient lighting

New security equipment and customer-assistance kiosks

Improved communication and speaker systems

New cast iron street-level entrances and protective canopies

Bike ramps and racks to promote alternate modes of transportation

The Clark/Division station was the 16th-busiest CTA rail station last year, with more than 2.5 station entries.